The performance of a vortex flow reactor (VFR) with suspended particles for protein adsorption was studied under varying operating conditions, and resin volume fractions. The VFR behaved as an expanded bed in the regimen of laminar vortices flow. Streamline DEAE was used for bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption. Expanded bed VFR experiments were performed with varying geometric aspect ratios (14.6, 28.6 and 40.0) and axial superficial velocity (100-300 cm h(-1)) to investigate their influence on productivity and dynamic capacity. The results are compared with literature data on an expanded bed column (EBC). Adsorption breakthrough curves were fitting to a simple two-parameter model. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.